13 days (not including air travel)
Discover Kenya’s less crowded tourist havens. Get off the beaten path and hike through pure wilderness; climb hills and mountains and walk amongst herds of wildlife. Visit local homes and see Africa through the eyes of the local people. This is your chance to see not only the famous Big 5 but the small 500 as well!
Day 1: Nairobi-Aberdares
From Nairobi drive for 3-4 hours to the Aberdares National Park for game drives in the Salient where wildlife is both abundant and highly visible. The park is rich in alpine flora and fauna, and scenic features including magnificent waterfalls. We spend the night at Reedbuck campsite.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Day 2: Satima Base
Follow the moorlands track on a 4-5 hour hike through giant heather vegetation, tussock grasses, open forest glades and rose wood trees. We will camp at the base of the Satima peak in readiness for our final climb up the majestic peak tomorrow. During the hike it’s possible to see wildlife such as buffalo, elephant, reedbuck, bushbuck etc.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3: Satima Peak-Naromoru/Mt Kenya
From the base of Le Satima peak, hike for 2-3 hours to Le Satima peak (4001m), the highest point of the Aberdare mountain range. On a clear day you can see Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro on the horizon and even Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and the Daiga hills. Later descend to connect with the vehicle for transfer off the mountain to Wandare park gate for picnic lunch followed by transfer to Naromoru (Mt Kenya).
Accommodation: Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4: Giant Bamboo Camp (2,600m)
Short drive to Gathiuru forest station and a 4 hour ascent through dense stands of towering bamboo to our own Giant Bamboo camp at 2600m. Elephant and buffalo are common here.
Accommodation: Giant Bamboo Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5: Highland Castle (3,700m)
The luxuriant bamboo yields to enormous podocarpus and pencil cedar forest before we climb to the hagenia rosewood zone at the edge of the moorlands. This marks our lunch spot before heading up through the extraordinary giant lobelia and groundsels. We spend the night close to the sheer lava cliffs of the “Highland Castle” at 3,700m. Today’s hike takes 5-6 hours with an ascent of 1,100m.
Accommodation: Highland Castle Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 6: American Camp (4,300m)
Spectacular scenery as the jagged volcanic peaks and shimmering glaciers tower above our trek around the summit circuit. Turquoise tarns nestle in the valleys, eagles and buzzards soar overhead – it’s difficult to believe we’re on the equator! We might, for the first time, meet other trekkers here as we hike for 5-6 hours to overnight at American Camp at 4,300m.
Accommodation: American Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7: Point Lenana-Nithi River
Predawn start for the summit attempt. Up steep screes and a bare rocky track to reach Austrian Hut. It’s an exhilarating 30 minutes from here to reach the hikers summit, Pt Lenana at 4,985m in time for sunrise – Kilimanjaro is usually visible 340kms to the south, then 3 hours descent to Hall Tarns (4,300m), where you have a late second breakfast. Excellent views from top of a of sheer 300m cliff overlooking the Gorges Valley. Then a 3 hour hike down the Gorges valley in the afternoon, along a broad ridge enjoying magnificent views back up the valley to the snowy peaks, and down to waterfalls, tarns and lava flows in the Gorges Valley itself. Camp by the track head in the giant heather zone.
Accommodation: Nithi River Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 8: Chogoria
Short descent through the forest zone to the mountain cabins and afternoon relaxing. Log fires, hot showers and beds for overnight. Wildlife viewing in evening – often from your cabin window as the elephant and buffalo graze outside!
Accommodation: Chogoria cabins
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 9: Chogoria-Namunyak
Descent on a broad track for about 10 kms through bamboo and virgin forest to meet vehicle for transfer to Chogoria town and board waiting vehicle for transfer to the base of the Ololokwe Mountain. This mountain is sacred to the local Samburu sub-tribe of northern Kenya who are closely related to the southern Maasai. We shall meet our hosts and guides in the evening as we prepare to depart the following morning. Dinner and overnight at the camp.
Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 10: Namunyak
We start our two day hike up the Ololokwe with our local Samburu guides and donkeys carrying provisions. Today’s 5-6 hour trek takes us through the acacia thickets and Comiphora trees on the steep slopes of the mountain. As we climb higher the vegetation changes to palm cicads and gigantic Podocarpus and Pencil cedar trees. Along the way you are treated to magnificent views of the surrounding lands. We arrive at the base camp for lunch. Later in the afternoon we climb to the Ololokwe summit (2000m) and explore the nearby viewpoints. Dinner and overnight at our bush camp.
Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 11: Namunyak/Samburu
Hike down the mountain to board our vehicle and the base of the mountain, Drive to Samburu National Reserve for lunch and afternoon game drive.
Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 12: Samburu
Whole day of game drives in Samburu. Samburu Park lies in the semi-arid north and is the home of the Samburu Special Five – Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and the Beisa oryx, the five rare and endemic northern animal species. Overnight at the camp again.
Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner